By Dayo Awoniyi
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles face an anxious wait over the fitness of first-choice goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt ahead of their U20 Africa Cup of Nations third-place match against hosts Egypt on Sunday.
Harcourt, who was instrumental in Nigeria’s quarterfinal victory over Senegal—saving two penalties during the shootout—sustained an injury during the semifinal defeat to South Africa.
His absence was felt as a goalkeeping error by substitute Ajai Yakub contributed to Nigeria’s exit from the title race.
Team officials are expected to reassess Harcourt’s condition ahead of the 4:00 p.m. (Nigerian time) kickoff to determine his availability for the crucial clash.
The Flying Eagles are seeking to end their campaign on a high note with a bronze medal, in what will be their fifth appearance in a third-place match.
Egypt, also aiming to finish on the podium, will be making their fourth appearance in the playoff. Both teams have won the bronze medal three times in past editions.
The match is set to take place at the 30 June Air Defence Stadium in Cairo.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
